Looking for the best ways to utilize print marketing as a way to drive business? Printing can get lost in the shuffle with all the hype around digital marketing. Sometimes as professional you can feel like you are behind the times by not utilizing all forms of marketing, but print marketing still have distinct benefits that digital marketing simply cannot offer.

Printing is still Modern marketing

Printing is still a great way to market your business and has the ability to compliment your digital marketing strategy. (Read: print drives technology). However modern marketing is commonly considered as digital and online formatting. As a business owner, entrepreneur, or marketing director, chance are you have experience in online ads, banners, blogs, content creation, SEO, and keyword targeting content. Online marketing is great and should definitely be within your marketing arsenal. However, don’t leave out digital marketing’s predecessor- print marketing. While you might find that statement perplexing, there are still great ways to utilize print marketing to grow your company. Remember, digital marketing doesn’t always trump old-school print marketing. And here are three ways to prove it.

Print gives you Home-field advantage

Print allows you to effectively market your local market. Whether you are a local or national company, having the support of people within your local market is critical for your success. With increased support of local businesses, printing allows you to assure you to network within your community. The best way to utilize print marketing is through- post cards, brochures, posters, flyers, catalogs, and local tradeshows. Depending on your target market, you can drop of your marketing material to local companies that would benefit from your service or product. Printing is the first impression you make on a decision maker. Some consumers would rather go someplace with a physical storefront than just browse online, and with the use of print marketing, you can reach a whole new demographic.

Print has a Personal Touch

Print has always allowed you to give your customer base that little extra attention. With all the advances within the print community you are now able to do a direct mail campaign and personalize it each person, business, and entity. Send your customers, whether existing or new, a little something in the mail now and again. Instead of sending a template email that won’t get read, let them know you appreciate their business and remind them of upcoming sales, specials, promotions, or a simple thank you. Just like in digital marketing, you want a balance, so you want to do this every day and spam your client. If you personalize the letters, cards or flyers, it will have a direct impact and give you the competitive advantage. This is a lost art that many companies have lost sight of. It’s a simple, small effort, which goes along way.

It also is pull marketing. By doing this method you will be at the forefront of the customer’s mind. It also has the ability to trigger other ideas of services that they potentially need. By having this additional opportunity you can recommend other services. This type of effect is just not something digital marketing is able to successfully produce.

Expanding your reach

There’s no debate that there is a different set of people who only stay abreast of things through digital and online means and those who prefer the “old-fashioned” way—physical books, newspapers, magazines—to using modern technology. So, instead of choosing one method over another, why not use both? With the Internet becoming overloaded with spam, it is harder to trust what is read, promoted, and there is a risk factor to it. Not to mention what was once a free way to promote your business- blogs, social media, and ranking online, those services are now saturated and are becoming too time consuming to do yourself. Those marketing methods are now being done by a marketing manager or outsourced to vendors that come with a price tag.

Yes it costs money to use print marketing. But they each have their unique benefits. Depending on the nature of your business, you may not be solely targeting the youngest generation of digital-lovers. Even if you are there are ways to make an impression on that demographic. You can have a digital ad be attached to a print ad to make on going impressions. Or perhaps you’re targeting an older, more mature age group or business professionals who don’t have time to surf the web for leisure, but make time to read a magazine or physical newspaper each day. Or, maybe you just want to cast a wider net. Whatever your reason, using print media to reach a new demographic will keep you a step ahead of your competition—who, undoubtedly, is relying on digital marketing.

Redefining the benefits of Print

It’s time to redefine the benefits and usefulness of print media. It may not be hot, new thing in modern marketing, but it has its roots. It has stayed around so long for a reason. Make use of print marketing where you can and combine it with your current digital marketing efforts, and you’ll see the results. A successful entrepreneur always uses all available resources, and one of them is still print marketing.